Good Fats We Need – Bad Fats We Don’t!
The Good Fats – Omega 3 and 6 Fatty Acids are the Only Fats Our Bodies Need
The best sources of these good fats are found in whole plant foods like:
- Leafy greens – best source of all, by far
- Seeds – especially ground flax, hemp, sunflower, and chia
- Beans
- Gluten-free whole grains
- Nuts – all tree nuts, i.e. almond, cashew, walnut (limit Brazil nuts to 4 or less per day, because of high selenium content)
- Whole nut butters or flours
- Whole seed butters or flours
Don’t over do it on the nuts and seeds. The more fats and oils we eat, the less oxygen we will have in our blood, sometimes for many hours after ingestion. Oxygenated blood is crucial for fighting off the viruses and bacteria that underlie many of our chronic and life-threatening diseases.
A high-fat diet has also been shown in multiple studies to contribute to developing type 2 diabetes, obesity, cancer, and heart disease. So, if you have any health issues, it is important to limit your fat intake to 15% of your total calories or less. Make that 10% for heart disease.
If you are lucky enough to have ideal health (and excellent liver function), you may be able to handle more than 15% of your calories from fat. However, remember that the more fat you eat, the more you will burden your liver, deplete the oxygen in your bloodstream, and limit your cell’s ability to utilize insulin. Is it worth it?
Highly Recommended: Go to https://cronometer.com/ and plug in all the foods you eat in a day to find out your fat percentage (hover your mouse over the red section of the calories-consumed circle and your fat percentage will pop up).
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- cut their protein recommendation in half
- divide their fat recommendation by three (seems like they have a high-fat, paleo/ketogenic bias) – Try to keep total fats around 15%
- cut their recommended calcium in about half (600mg. or more is fine on a plant-based diet, because it doesn’t have to balance the high phosphorus of meat)
- divide their omega 6 levels in half (so it’s about 3 times the omega 3 level)
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That would be more in line with what most plant-based nutrition experts recommend.
Why No Oil?
Aside from being a source of empty calories and decreasing oxygen in blood, oil consumption has also been shown to decrease endothelial function – https://www.drcarney.com/blog/entry/the-effect-of-different-oils-on-endothelial-function. This means that oil:
- constricts the blood flow by 32% after a meal
- injures the endothelial cells (the cells that line the interior walls of blood vessels)
- triggers plaque build-up (atherosclerosis).
How to cook without oil – https://ucdintegrativemedicine.com/2015/03/how-to-cook-without-oil-and-never-ever-miss-it/
Which nuts and seeds contain the best balance of good fats?
I like to look for foods with a good Omega 6 to Omega 3 ratio. This is particularly important for those who don’t prepare everything from scratch, since high-Omega 6 oils are used in almost all prepared foods in restaurants and grocery stores. The ideal omega fats ratio is around 3 or 4 parts Omega 6 to 1 part Omega 3.
Rather than worry too much about the omega fatty acid ratio in your foods, just eat lots of leafy greens. If you want to include seeds, try a tablespoon of hemp seeds, ground flax, or ground chia seeds per day, along with a wide variety of whole foods, and avoid all oils.
If you don’t eat any oils or nuts, you may need more omega 6 fatty acids. Raw sunflower seeds are an excellent source of omega 6, and they are also one of the best sources of vitamin E.
- The best seeds for boosting Omega 3 fatty acids are hemp, chia, and ground flax.
- The best seeds for boosting Omega 6 fatty acids are sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds.
- The best nuts for balanced omega fatty acids appear to be – walnuts, almonds, and cashews.
Nut and seed butters – relative nutritional values.
Omega Fatty Acids – Not Just Found in Nuts & Seeds
This is important! Do not assume that you have to eat high-fat foods to get enough essential fatty acids. In fact, it is much better if you don’t! Even fruits, leafy greens, and legumes can provide all the good fats you need.
Legumes and fruits contain mainly polyunsaturated fat, with some being higher in omega-6 fats and others higher in omega-3 fatty acids. Excluding extremes (eg, chickpeas, which have mainly omega-6), most legumes average a ratio of omega-6s to omega-3s of about 2:1. The average ratio for fruit rests between 1:1 and 2:1, with apples at about 5:1 and papaya about 1:5. From http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/020810p22.shtml
Tip – It is always good to include a small amount of an acidic food like lemon, lime, or tomato, with your salads and other leafy green dishes to help with nutrient absorption.
Note: Beware of taking too much Omega 3 in supplement form (fish oil, algae oil, etc.), especially if you take aspirin or other blood thinners, because excessive amounts can cause internal bleeding.
GLA – Essential Omega 6 Oil
GLA is a good Omega 6 fat, called a Parent Essential Oil, because it is an undamaged source of the Linoleic and alpha-Linolenic fatty acids that help transport oxygen to the cells. It is not found in refined or heated vegetable oils.
If you eat a healthy whole plant foods diet, including raw salads, you should get plenty of GLA, but the best supplemental sources are:
- Borage Oil – 20-24% GLA
- Black Currant Oil – 17% GLA
For food sources of GLA fats go to: https://govegandiet.com/omega_6_foods_high_in_gamma_linolenic_acid_fatty_acids_sources_list.html
What About Coconut Oil?
Saturated fats from plant foods, like coconut oil, have been widely promoted in some circles. Though they may not be as detrimental as animal fats, they can still raise your cholesterol, damage endothelial cells, and thicken your blood. It is best to avoid them, especially if you have any health problems, particularly heart disease, liver disease, or cholesterol issues.
Note: You do need some cholesterol. Your body can create it, but if your cholesterol is too low, coconut and coconut oil can help to raise it to a healthy level.
You’ve probably seen a lot of controversy about coconut and coconut oil in the health media news. It is the darling of some and a villain to others. My conclusion is that healthy people can get away with eating small amounts of coconut oil occasionally in baking or sautéing without much harm.
Anthony William, the Medical Medium, even includes coconut oil in several of his recipes. Anthony William also has a lot of good things to say about whole-food coconut.
One positive thing about coconut is that it helps the body convert Omega 3 (from plant sources like flax, hemp, and chia seeds) into the important EPA and DHA forms, so you might want to eat a small amount of coconut, coconut milk, or coconut butter with your high-Omega 3 foods. The important key is great moderation when it comes to fats of any kind, especially saturated fats.
Dr. Greger is not such a fan of Coconut.
Here’s what the Pritikin folks say about coconut oil:
Bottom line, avoid all oils or keep them very low. Anthony William says only coconut, olive, avocado, and sometimes walnut or hazelnut oil are acceptable oils, and he also recommends a low fat diet (15% of calories). Oils are concentrated fats without any other food value. Why add the empty calories?
What About Olive Oil? Isn’t it the Healthy One?
Sorry, folks. Even the beloved olive oil has been implicated in heart disease, endothelial cell damage, and breast cancer.
Here’s what Dr. Esselstyn, a foremost expert on heart disease has to say about it – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_o4YBQPKtQ&feature=youtu.be
Dr. Greger weighs in on oils – https://nutritionfacts.org/topics/oils/
Pritikin is not a fan either:
The Really Bad Fats
The most obvious bad fats are the hydrogenated trans-fats created in laboratories. Next on the bad fat list are saturated fats from animal products. They have been clearly implicated in heart disease and diabetes for many decades.
Unfortunately, there has been a recent rash of media hype promoting the benefits of animal fats, including butter. As far as I have been able to find (and I’ve done a lot of searching), there is no good scientific evidence supporting any health benefits of animal fats – aside from Omega 3 fatty acids which we can easily get from plant foods (or a good algae-based EPA/DHA supplement if blood tests indicate low levels).
Unhealthy Oils
All oils are fractured foods and ideally should be avoided, with the possible exception of high lignan flaxseed oil when used therapeutically (see bottom of this page).
Though not part of an ideal diet, if you don’t have any health or weight issues, some oils can be safely used in moderation for the occasional baked or sautéed treat, provided that you do not heat them above their smoke point.
It is best not to heat oils at all, because high heat can create free radicals – and NEVER use any oil that smells or tastes rancid, because it already contains free radicals.
It is always better to use whole foods for salad dressings, but if you insist on using oil here are the best oils for salads and raw dishes:
- extra virgin olive oil
- avocado oil
- hemp oil
- flax oil
But why not make delicious dressings with pureed white beans, sesame tahini, avocado, or nut and seed butters!
Cooking with Oils
Did you know it is easy to saute vegetables with no oil at all? Start with a hot pan and toss in the chopped vegetables, just as you would with oil. If they start to stick, add a small amount of water, veggie broth, or alcohol-free wine and stir. To make it really easy, get a GreenLife ceramic frying pan (recommended by Anthony William). The Always Pan is even better, but a lot more expensive. These pans are non-toxic, non-stick and super easy to clean if you do it while they are still warm. Just be careful not to scratch the surface with metal utensils.
I would not ever recommend cooking with oils, but if you do occasionally cook with oils, use the list below to find out which ones can be more safely used at the temperatures you will be using.
Smoke Point of Oils
- Avocado oil (from the fruit, not the seed) – 400°F/204°C
- Coconut oil – Unrefined – 350°F / 177°C
- Coconut oil* – Refined – 450°F / 232°C
- Flax seed oil – Unrefined – 225°F / 107°C
- Hempseed oil – Unrefined – 330°F / 165°C
- Olive oil – Extra virgin – 375°F / 191°C
- Olive oil – Virgin – 420°F / 216°C
- Peanut oil – Unrefined – 320°F / 160°C
- Peanut oil – Refined – 450°F / 232°C
- Sesame oil – Unrefined – 350°F / 177°C
- Sesame oil – Semi-refined – 450°F / 232°C
Oils best for baking (up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit) are avocado oil and refined coconut oil. Refined peanut oil and semi-refined sesame oil also have high smoke points, but they are very high in Omega 6 fatty acids.
If you love fried foods, why not try an air fryer? You can fry just about anything with little or no oil. The Louise Sturhling ceramic air fryer is the only basket type air fryer I’ve been able to find without a toxic non-stick coating, but I think it may be off the market. There are also toaster oven types that seem to be free of coatings. Do your research. There are always new models coming out.
Frying (if you must, but please don’t!)
*Refined Coconut oil is best for frying, because of high smoke point and saturated fatty acid content, which makes it less subject to oxidation (however, frying is always detrimental to your health and NOT recommended).
Worst Oils for Health
Avoid the following oils completely:
- corn oil (GMO contaminated)
- cottonseed oil (GMO and pesticide contaminated)
- soy oil (GMO contaminated)
- canola oil (GMO contaminated)
Keep these oils to an absolute minimum:
- sesame oil
- peanut oil
- safflower oil
- sunflower oil
– because they are all much higher in Omega 6 fatty acids and/or polyunsaturated fats than in Omega-3 fatty acids. Too much Omega 6 in your diet can cause inflammation. Inflammation is considered to be one of the major causes of heart disease and diabetes.
Canola, corn, cottonseed, and soy oils have all been heavily contaminated with GMOs and are highly refined. Cotton seed oil is often heavily contaminated with pesticides as well. Avoid completely!
Summary
To sum it up, the worst fats are hydrogenated trans-fats, and animal fats. Saturated animal fats, including fats in meats, eggs, and dairy products, have been shown to thicken blood and raise cholesterol even more than saturated plant fats.
Again, all oils are fractured foods and should be avoided if you are aiming for optimal health. One possible exception is flax oil. Flax is the only oil allowed on the Gerson Diet which has successfully been used to treat cancer since 1928.
For information about other nutrients see Plant Based Nutrition
Now Let’s Look at the difference between Whole Foods & Fractured Foods
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